Elucidating a Concept

Three Ways in Elucidating a Concept

• Before writing a concept paper, you must

first learn how to explain your concept of
your project or research. Basically, there are
three ways of explaining a concept.
Definition –
• explaining the concept by answering, “What does
it mean?” This makes of an illustrations,
examples, and description to clarify the term. A
definition can be done in three ways:
Informal Definition

• giving of a parenthetical or brief explanation

Example: Tocopherol (Vitamin E) is naturally found in vegetable oil, fish,

and nuts.
Formal Definition

• giving of the term to be defined, the category, and

the quality that makes the term different from
other terms in the same category
Example:
Vitamin E is a light yellow fat-soluble vitamin that acts as anti-oxidant.
(term defined) (category of the term) (quality)
Biology is a branch of science that studies living organisms.
(term defined) (category of the term) (quality)
Extended Definition
• is a detailed way of defining a term and is usually a one
paragraph. It incorporates various patterns of formal,
informal, comparison and contrasts, narration,
description, classification, cause and effect to explain a
concept.

Example:
First described in 1907 by Alos Alzheimer, a German pgysician, Azheimer’s
disease is an adult-onset neurological disorder of unknown etiology (cause) manifested by loss of
memory, impaired thought processes, and abnormal behavior. When the illness begins before the
age of 65, it is termed Alzheimer’s

disease; when onset is after 65, it is referred to as senile dementia of the Alzheimer’s type.
Signal Words for Definition

• The following signal words are useful when explaining a concept by

definition.

as defined, for example, for instance, is defined as, means,

such as, to define, to illustrate
Explication

• is a method of explanation in which sentences, verses,

quotes, or phrases are taken from a literary or academic
work then interpreted and explained in a detailed way.
You may begin by analyzing how the text was
constructed and end with a concise conclusion by
restating your major arguments. Explication not only
illuminates a piece of literature, but also serves to
remind the readers about its historical setting and
formal properties of style and language
Example:
In the final stanza of his poem The Road Not Taken, Frost talks about
his dilemma of coming upon two diverging paths, and not knowing which one to choose.
The third line is very important, as it delivers an idea of choosing between the two
divergent paths.

The tone in this stanza shifts from regretful to optimistic. The two roads
symbolically represent individual choices. The mood is neither depressed nor unhappy,
but the poet sighs because he knows what the complexities our life may have for him.
Whether he has chosen a right or a wrong path, it has a compelling impact on his life.
The phrase “less traveled” suggests the theme of individualism. From: The Road Not
Taken (by Robert Frost
Clarification
• it is a method of explanation in which the points are
organized from a general abstract idea to specific and
concrete examples. The analysis of the concept is done
by looking at the examples and specifying its
characteristics.

Signal Words for Clarification

After all for instance namely that is
As an example in other words put another way to be specific
Consider the following example in particular specifically
To clarify for example in short stated differently
Justice is a broad concept which encompasses a wide set of ideas, most of which also branch out
into smaller notions. For instance, it can refer to the sentencing of a criminal based on due
process. When an individual gets what he deserves, even outside the hands of the law, it is also
considered justice in some context. This may come in the form of vigilante justice, in which a
person dissatisfied with the system doles out punishing to wrong-doers. Poetic justice is also
another related concept which is used in literature to show how the good is always rewarded while
bad forces always meet a grim end. In the context of this paper, justice will be clearly delineated
into any instance in which the law is successfully and fairly applied to an individual, resulting in
either an arrest or a release. To illustrate, if a theft is caught and tried in court through due
process, and is found to be guilty and then sentenced accordingly, it can be said that justice was
served. However, if the same thief is caught in the act by a band of villagers and was beaten right
then and there, it will be considered justice in the context of the paper, as the process has not
undergone due process.
Source: English for Academic & Professional Purposes for SHS page